Friday, December 25, 2009

Had to put the Saturn to the test and compare it to the Chevy on another 10hr afterski driving mission up into British Colombia, since it seemed the Baker had left the oven open in Washington again.

In the white room, topped with bluebird.

Kari Medig had invited us to come up to Nelson, to stay with him, check out the pow in Whitewater and taste BC's next best coffee since we missed Mark's Stoke-beans up in Revy. We got there in the morning after another epic Motel session and got straight into the game of deep white frozen H2O.

Met some chill locals and headed out with Clay aka Pat Maweanie, one who could guide us to the best cliffs around and demonstrate very well how to go off them in the best possible way. Upside down, flipped backwards and both hands on the goggles that is. It was mostly snowing and ovecast but the sun even came out for a couple of hours and we got to have a brief look at the surrounding out of bounds terrain potential.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

After the awesomeness we experienced in Revelstoke we got in the car again and headed back to the USA and Mt Baker where a major storm finally was turning the ice into cream. Knowing that it would be borderline balancing with the temperatures we hoped for it to stay on the right side of freezing and crossed our fingers before crossing the border.

Logging so many miles on this trip that we had to go and change our Chevy into a Saturn.

Finally in the deep woods below baker and checking in with Adam U.

Adam was our man in Baker, welcoming us with big logs in the stove, a place to crash and the directions to the good stuff on the mountain.

Bakers terrain is completely one hundered percent awesome. It's playstation4 super mario pillow poppin bombhole wonderland II under the lifts. And the soft landings this day gave us a bag of green Mario mushroom extra life. And as far as we hear there is even more, better and bigger stuff above the top of the lifts, something we were not able to see through the fog though.

Unfortunately it went too warm, the pow turned heavy and it was not looking good for the next days. Once again we figured we'd bombed the place enough to call it the day so we got in the car again and did another 10 hr drive into British Colombia to get a piece of another big dump there.

We have skied so much pow on this trip it's rediculous. And the fat lady is definitely singing yet. Putting down the miles has been part of it, with motel action, Subway one handers and Seattle grunge tunes getting us across borders with more or less stress...

Stay tuned for more north american pow tubular madness at the bigtrix.

Friday, December 18, 2009

We're stoked. Revelsoke Mountain has got the biggest vertical in North America, the comfyest lodge and allready awesome snow conditions this year. We hooked up with a lot of good people, found a lot of good snow and got some real good photos. With fresh snow as we arrived and then bluebird on our last day we could not have had better conditions for getting the best out of the awesome terrain easily reachable from the lift. We will be back!

Friday, December 11, 2009

The North West coast of USObama and British Colombia have had a good start of the season, with record November snowfalls and early openings in many places. I got on a plane with Mikael Pilstrand to get a piece of it and before we knew it we were eatin fat pancakes, driving a big gazoline addicted Chevy and headed way into the mountains of interior British Colombia, Canada.

Iceland Air, the best way to go. Scandinavia-West Coast USA before you even get tired of watching movies and drinking beer.

But 450 kr for a Croissant just feels real strange when you are a Scandinavian...

Then 12.95 dollars for breakfast seems a little bit better even though you can never finish the plate when you are Scandinavian.

Pilstrand working on it the starter. He could finish the coffee cup a couple of times though.

And once on the ground a big ass Chevy is the way to go. Maybe not the right moral choice in theese global warming times but when in Rome, do like the little Italian people, when in US drive a big fat car like the big fa.. American people.

Feels like Hemsedal has already had a full season even before it´s started in many other places. I've already had better ski-days there this pre-season than I´ve ever had there before. If it finished now it would probably not have been the worst season ever there... But it just looks like it is continuing and getting better. Marry Christmas and a happy new year will be spent there.

Kjøttulf Isaksen came straight from surfing El Salvadorsurfing to schredding Hemsedal, skipping authum is the way to go. Photo: Jallis Lilleheil

Hemsedal local David Underland training for bombdrops from his new buit house.

Enjoying a record early poach of the run that is known as the Anal. (Excuse my language but that is just what it's called. They even wrote it in the local newspaper once, when Evensen had done a little too quick decent of the "S", so I though then it would be ok to write even on the very politically correct bigtrix.com). Anyway, this line is normally never a ridable option so early in the relationsh... no I mean season, and normally always very sketchy, so it's proof that winter 09/10 in Hyggedal is an extraordinary one.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

In my efforts to meet the pow season in shape and well prepared, like a professional Swedish ski-model, I am trying out a numer of alternative training methods this year since the gym is a pretty boring place to be. Last out was ice-skating which proved to be a pretty good excercise, at least from the cramps in my lower legs to judge.

Hooked up with the dude of the dudes when it comes to ice and speed and tights and stuff, Ådne Søndrål, or Oddis as we dudes on the ice call him, Olympic Champion and world record setter on 1500 meters of this stuff. Got some expert tips that did not make me set any records on that track, but at least got me out of there without any serious injuries brought upon myself nor any others.

Rippin! Free ride ice skating is the shizzles!

Next is hopefully a shitload of cross country ski-skating up in Hemsedal with Skævvern, and some laps at the hill. Then I'll be all set. This season is gonna be full on pretty early this year!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Went to Hemsedal for the pre-opening weekend and kicked off the season with pow up to the..... ancles at least. Expecting to start off the season with piste-cruising on man made surface I was surprised by beeing able to cruise all over the mountain on about 60 cm of snow.

The Hygge factor was definitely present, with all the redular happy pow campin dudes and dudettes of Hemsedal poppin out of their winter hiding. Thanx to Skævvern for the hookup in House of Hygge, to David for the riding, to Tut for smiling, to Camilla for the hot dogs and cakes, not to Jonas Hjelme for the guiding and to Skjalg for the ride back to the Oslo.

It got warmer on Sunday but the snow is still there, meaning Hemsedal has got an excellent snow base already and it's looking good for the rest of the season there. Will be going back for some more cruising and getting in shape before winter kicks off in the rest of the world and it's time to go out there and chase it. Tickets to Japan for example, are already bought. Bring on the pow!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Went to Lofoten for a quick surfout with Nico and Vegard from the Looped crew out of the Tromsø hood. Shitty forecast could not stop the young looped spirits so we boarded the surfcruise wessle with fat smiles despite knowing that the journey would never end with epic surf.

Droppin in on Nico and going for the magic seaweed grab

Takeoffs were all we got as the swell dropped even faster than we'd thought, but still spirits were high and we were happy lopping takeoffs and 2 secconds of fame literarely on the rocks. The fierce crowds of course were as hostile as ever in the bay and we shared the leftovers and worked on some special skills, like reversed duckdiving and magic seaweed doublegrabs to keep a minimum distance between bords and rocks.

Lofoten new local senseless L to the K hooked up with our crew, joined the sightseeing and snapped some shots azz usual, thanx! Not to mention that we ended up crashing in the senseless crib after celebrating Vegard's 18 years of chasing barrels with legally bought and drunk 50's and senseless burito specials. A reason good enough to go to Lofoten no matter what forecast. Through hotdog party at Narvesen on top of that and you've got the #1 hygge destination in the world.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Went to the Dolomites in February last season and had some of the best skiing ever, until we just had to get out of there before everything closed and the mid-station even got blown out by an avalanche. Here is what I blogged then: cushinos and cappuccinos.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Had an awesome weekend up by the deep fjords of north west Norway, riding some of the most scenic and steepest bike-terrain there is, at least what I've seen. The local rippers Veronica, Bjørnar, Helge, Arild and Håvard with friends threw a camp, got nearly 50 stoked big city bikers up there and showed them the best singletracks between peak and fjord.

On top of a peak on the west coast of Norway and only one way to go from there. Down. Fast.This is mountainbiking really close to ski touring with 6 inch suspension like big fat planks that are ready for good times going down. As good as it gets, at least without snow.

VIDEO: The minestry of stash has put together a feel good film that pretty much says all there is to say:MORE SHOTS:Perfect shuttle setup by the locals give you 750 vertical for free.

Veronica and Bjørnar takin a break on the long way down from mefjellet at 1100 meters above barbeque-and-beer-level.

Bjørnar whippin some tail for the cameras; fjords in the background, fiddlers in bunad playing folk songs on the side, blond cow girls milkin fresh organic strawberry milkshakes straight outa freeridin eco mountain cows and smilin' german campers throwin smuggled bratwurst and beer parties for the bikers, and snow coverd mountain peaks and glaciers hangin above the fjord and total bluebird and giant blueberries all over the place and singletracks paved with nothin but golden brown dirt. Just another ordinary day of ridin at the North West Shore of Norwegian mountainbiking, no wonder I get carried away...

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Had an awesome weekend of singletrack mountainbiking at Terrengsykkel (NO) mag's event Utflukt 2009 in Kongsberg. For four days there was good, dry weather, good times and happy people. The terrain... pretty close to perfect. Well, words are not really necessary, just watch the movie clip.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Just recieved some shots from my mountainbike touring adventures in Folldal earlier this summer. We had a good week staying at our family's getaway, an small summer farm in Folldal, right between the great Norwegian mountain areas of Rondane and Dovre.

Top of the world. With wheels for going back down.

Up there the round peaks at right above 1500 meters are great for self earned freeriding on two wheels. From around 1000 meters and up the surface is super smooth with small flat rocks, gravel and very little vegetation, meaning you can ride anywhere, like skiing or snowboarding, without having to follow any paths and tracks.

Takin air on a natural little kicker and landing in soft moss above the valley.

Earn your turns.

Pedalling in to where it starts getting steep and then strapping up is the way to go in the Folldal hood. No lift around and fresh tracks everywhere. A singletrack bike with a good bit of suspension does not weigh more than what you can carry on your back, but is still tough enough to handle some beatings going down the mountain full speed. I got to borrow an excellent all-mountain Commencal Meta 5.5 from Bikes&Boards and it totally got the job done.

This is the true meaning of MTB freeriding. All free, all natural.

Hans Magnus relaxing in the bushes after a good ride down from Fatfjellet. Still a bit of fine singletrack is in front of us before we return to the cabin.

Friday, July 31, 2009

Spending summer on the west coast of Norway is like a box of chocolates; You definitely never know what kind of weather, water temperatures or waves you're gonna get. Late spring was super warm and even shorts-temperatures in the water for a while, but for most of the summer it's been quite cold and rainy. There has been waves at least. No big summer swells yet but quite consistantly its been clean and surfable waves every day.

Not the biggest, but a good day with long rides in H-bay

The one annual "big" summer swell never arrived this year at Stad. Legend says that once every summer nice sets will come in from nowhere with over head mid summer goods to those who have been waiting in the bay all summer. This year it seems we'll have to wait until the fall and the first storms start whipping the cream around out in the North Atlantic. Nevertheless, Stad is a good place to be. When Anne's waffle-presse is constantly pumpin out warm harts of hygge and there is surf, even if it is foot high on the longest longboard in the world, it is absolutely good times.

It´s chest when you tuck....

H-bay is still all about hygge: fresh caught wild Salmon at Jan-Ove's to the right, warm Waffles at Anne's to the left.